Monday, August 8, 2016

Book Review - "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry

This
is one of those heartrending books that would be burned into my memory. The
story of the four main characters is told in a calm, understated and sometimes dry-humored
tone, but the characters, their poignant back stories as well as the settings
just jump right off the page. The whirlpool of corrupt and brutal politics, the
inhumane caste system, ethnic hatred, sexual abuses, abject poverty and social despair
gives the narrative a pulsating realism that keeps the reader well-grounded in
its authenticity.

Dina
Dalal, a widow trying to live independently of her overbearing brother, and
Maneck Kohlah, a congenial college student and her sub-tenant, are from the
relatively well-off Parsi community. Ishvar Darji and his nephew Omprakash
Darji are from the lowly Chamaar caste of untouchables. A strange twist of fate
brings them together under one roof and a beautiful story unfolds of the four
skeptics-turned-friends, of the Darjis’ endless struggles with unspeakable
tragedies, and of Dina’s and Maneck’s mutual friendship and their compassion
and succor for the Darjis.

Generally,
it is a novel that is unapologetic in its assail against the dark side of human
nature, the absurd cruelty of those who wield power and the venom of bigoted
conventions. It leaves the reader to ponder whether in the end human goodness
will balance out evil.

Here
are some philosophical quotes that I like:-

“A lifetime had to be crafted, just like
anything else, she thought, it had to be moulded and beaten and burnished in
order to get the most out of it.”

“’You see, you cannot draw lines and
compartments, and refuse to budge beyond them. Sometimes you have to use your
failures as stepping-stones to success. You have to maintain a fine balance
between hope and despair.’”

“Memories were permanent. Sorrowful ones
remained sad even with the passing of time, yet happy ones could never be
recreated – not with the same joy. Remembering bred its own peculiar sorrow. It
seemed so unfair: that time should render both sadness and happiness into a
source of pain.”

The
novel was a long read (my copy has 713 pages), but worth every minute. I’m giving
it 5-stars.